Back then I used to wear my hair
on the top of my head.
Since then I've had to move it
down to my chin.
on the top of my head.
Since then I've had to move it
down to my chin.
Then in '92 I hired on direct, and got a white badge. Last Tuesday, April 30, was my last day on that payroll, and I had to surrender that badge. Then May 1, between Boeing and SSI, began my second and third retirements. All these years, I expected that SSI would be the smallest of the three, but it turns out to be the biggest. Go figure.
Another retirement surprise was an epiphany that hit me out of nowhere, last Friday. Did not see this coming; never anticipated this paradigm-shift, this new way of looking at things, a whole new attitude. At my point in life you spend some time thinking about resource allocation — income versus living expenses, and longevity expectation compared to adequate savings.
All those years working for a paycheck, I always thought I should try to hold back some of that income, for eventual retirement, and for rainy-day emergencies. If those paychecks were to stop coming in, for whatever reason, I still had a family to provide for.
Unfortunately, in the early years, I didn't make much, so could hardly save anything, even when I knew I should. When our first kid was born, I was a Sergeant E5, base pay $383.70 per month.
Fortunately, in the middle and later years, we did a little better, and were able to save a little.
Thing is, the other day I suddenly realized that my long time "gotta save some" mentality doesn't make sense any more! Save for retirement? This it it! We're there. Rainy-day fund? For what? I'm not going to get laid off from my pensions, and don't have to show up at the office, or make any effort, or even get out of bed. Even (especially) if I were disabled, the entitlements would continue.
So I had to smile when it dawned on me that, when retiring on a set income like this, you might as well just go ahead and spend it all, and live the best lifestyle that income will support. I mean, why not? Seriously, if you can give a reason why not, please comment.
Also, all those years working for a nice paycheck, playing poker on the side, and having fun with it, I was always thinking that, once I retired, and the paychecks stopped, I'd kind of being playing poker on "scared money." I think we all know that's never good. But, you know, I wouldn't have the job any more to back me up if I lose my ass in the game. That worried me some, and I used to joke that, once I retired, I'd have to play better.
And here again, now I realize that's not a problem either. Worst Case: I'll be that pathetic guy you see at Diamond Lil's around midnight on the last day of the month, sitting at Table 11, the dead-spread near the cash machines, watching the clock, and trying the machine every little while to see if my monthly entitlements hit the bank yet, so I can get a buy-in.
OK, so then my only remaining problem was kind of a feeling of emptiness, maybe a lack of purpose, when I gave up the badge, left the campus, and drove home on that last day. Sure, I'm excited about starting this new chapter of life. Freedom to do whatever, whenever. But that's just it— do what, exactly? People at work and at DL kept asking me, like, "What are you going to do now?" and I could only mumble some lame and meaningless answers, because, well, I didn't really know.
Ah, but then when I got home, and we took a walk around the neighborhood, inspiration struck. We have 3 grandkids, and the oldest starts college this Fall. How cool will it be, I wondered, if he can casually tell his classmates, like, "Yeah, my Grandpa plays poker to pay my tuition." I mean, just the thought of how incredibly impressed (if not jealous) that should make them just gives me goosebumps, because, well, like Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) says, in The Color of Money:
"Money won is twice as sweet as money earned."
So that's my new game plan: Play lots of poker, and win enough to put 3 grandkids thru college, one at a time.
So after that very short last day at work — was outta there by 9:45 AM — I got to DL mid afternoon, for my first session as a "Professional Poker Player." OK, that may be a bit of a stretch, but if you loosely define it as someone who does not have a J-O-B, then I just might qualify. :-)
Right away, first hand, I got stupid, got lucky, and took a big pot when I had no business being there. Pocket Sevens in the big blind and I get trapped for 3 more bets, but seven way action, so nothing wrong with that. Yet. Flop it or drop it, right? Well, no.
Flop comes J96 rainbow, the original preflop UTG open-raiser on my left bets it, and when it gets back around to me it's two bets, with 38 bets in the pot, and a few more to go in when the players behind me call. So I call two cold. Considering future bets if it does hit, just about good enough odds to chase spiking a 7 on the turn, right?
No, wrong. Faulty, bogus thinking; a rationalization. There is no reason at all to think the guys behind me will just call. Probably way more likely they gonna put in another raise or two. And of course they do; it comes back around to me capped again, and I put in two more to see the turn. Bad play!
The good news is how my 23-to-1 against longshot came in, a seven did hit the turn, I check-raised and got in several more bets there, and a couple more on the river, and stacked lots of chips.
The bad news is how, bottom line, in the play of this hand, I put in way too many chips when the Cost, Chance and Payback (with that escalating Cost!) spelled Negative Expectation. Sure, I got lucky and won the pot, and from a results-oriented loser's viewpoint, that's good. But didn't we just say a minute ago that I need to play better now? This wasn't it.
Making calls like that all the time will lose money, period. Fortunately, that kind of trap situation doesn't come up too often, and I hope I usually play them better than I did this time.
Diamond Lil's $20/40 Hold Em is still solid, two games most every day, 'cept three games most Friday nights. And the seven-way action capped preflop that I describe above is not at all unusual. Action games, chasers galore, straddles, suckouts and slowrolls, bizarre play aplenty, dealers cursed, cards thrown, short stack, all-in, re-buy, short buy, NEW SETUP!
But a funny thing is how little real acrimony we see in these games. Certainly less than at, say, Commerce, or even Bellagio. Most of the DL players are regulars, and know one another all too well. Sometimes the loser might actually get mad, but more often they will laugh, and taunt, and fist-bump the other guy when they beat each other. In other words, most of the time, it stays light, with players cracking jokes, and lots of (friendly) trash talk.
An exception the last few days, though, was Misanthrope Marty. Here's a smart and experienced guy, but a World Class Whiner, goes on and on and on about how the guy who just beat him is the worst player on Earth, and how could the dealer bring that river card, and how could she call me on that flop, and can't believe I lost that hand, and did I mention that this goes on and on and on? After a while nobody is really listening any more, but the whine continues anyway. God Bless my noise-cancelling headphones.
- - -
I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis
Have you seen those commercials, featuring The "Most Interesting Man in The World?" The voiceover one liners are killer. There's a new one out, with:
- In a previous life, he was himself.
- If opportunity knocks, and he's not home, opportunity waits.
- He gave his father "The Talk."
Several collections of the older ones are out there on the web, and a good one is here.
1 comment:
Thanks Grandpa! I hope you can keep the money coming in. :) And tuition won is twice as sweet as tuition earned, not just money. :P
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